


Reunion

by TeekiJane



Series: The Boys of Summer [13]
Category: Baby-Sitters Club - Ann M. Martin
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-04
Updated: 2013-10-14
Packaged: 2017-12-28 10:52:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/991183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeekiJane/pseuds/TeekiJane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jeff prepares for a night full of romance--or at least, a good time. Meanwhile, everyone attends the BSC Independence Day Party, where Adam's afraid he'll have to play referee.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shannon

_Plus I always wanted you_  
 _You liked to rock it in your car_  
 _You said you didn’t understand me_  
 _Because I tried to see too far_  
Stars, _Reunion_

I’d been home from school for nearly two months and I hadn’t run across any of my friends from the Babysitters’ Club in all that time. It had been so long since we’d been a club, and I hadn’t gone to school with them, yet I’d stayed friends with a few of them through high school. Kristy and Abby lived on my street, and sometimes Stacey or Claudia would invite me shopping with her. And senior year they’d started having get togethers—anyone who was free would show up on Friday or Saturday night at Mary Anne or Kristy’s for a couple of hours, and then we’d all go on our way. But we’d scattered for college that next year, and by last summer, the parties had all but stopped. There was no one to get together with, most of the time. 

But out of the nine of us girls who had been members of the club, seven were going to be in town for Independence Day, and Mallory Pike had sent an email to everyone, inviting us to hang out. My boyfriend Adam had family obligations that day, and I hadn’t wanted to tag along. His family’s pretty unfriendly most of the time, and I’d made a showing at the Memorial Day barbecue only to be ignored by just about everyone. I wasn’t desperate for a repeat. 

That’s why I was warming up my car on that July afternoon, hoping the AC would turn on quickly. Abby’d sent me a text message begging for a ride and, since she lives right there, of course I’d said yes. Abby’s sister Anna is a good friend of mine, but she was at Julliard this summer as part of an exclusive program. I’d spent less time with Abby, but enough time to know she’s a little unpredictable. You never know what’s about to come out of her mouth. 

When she showed up, she greeted me like an old friend. “Hey, Shannon. Good to see you!” I gave her a quick hug. “Sorry I’m late, but I have a feeling that even running late, we’ll still be the first ones there.” 

“You’re probably right.” 

Abby threw open the passenger door. “It’s a little weird for us to be going anywhere together without Kristy along, isn’t it?” That’s exactly what I had been thinking. 

The day was pretty hot, but the air finally kicked in after about a mile. Either Abby was trying to be polite, or she was really interested in NYU. She kept asking all kinds of questions. I tried hard to remember where she was going to school—some place small further up north, maybe in Maine or Vermont. 

There were a number of cars already parked outside the Pikes when we arrived. I recognized a few of them. Claudia’s beater was there, and so was Kristy’s SUV. But I focused in on one car in particular. It looked just like Tiffany’s. “I think that’s my sister’s car,” I commented idly. 

We weren’t the first to arrive at the party, but no one seemed to be bothered that we were a little late. The first person we saw was Mal’s youngest sister, Claire. She was chasing a little girl with strawberry blonde pigtails. Abby recognized the toddler first. “Hey, Harper!” she called. 

The little girl heard the voice and turned her running toward us. “Auntie Abby!” she yelled. 

Abby scooped her up in a big hug. “Harper, you don’t remember Auntie Shannon, do you?” Harper frowned and shook her head. Abby turned to me. “Everyone is Harper’s auntie or uncle.” 

I smiled at the little girl. “Harper, where’s your mommy? Auntie Abby and I want to say hi.” 

Claire had come up behind us. “Everyone’s out back,” she said, puffing a little from the chase. 

Abby let Harper go and the little girl bounced away. “C’mon, Care! Chase me!” she cried. 

We headed behind the house and found the backyard transformed into party central. There were drinks in ice, a barbecue running and foods set all over the picnic table. Everyone seemed to be sitting in one corner, where a bunch of lounge chairs were set up. Claudia spotted us. “Come on over!” 

A round of hugs and exclamations went around. Claudia was sharing a chair with our hostess, while Kristy and Stacey were each spread out on another chair. Claud’s hair had grown even longer since the last time I’d seen her. Today, she wore it long and loose, tucked behind her ears. She’d been famous for crazy outfits back in the day, but today she just wore a pair of paint-splattered jean shorts and a yellow t-shirt. 

Mallory wore her hair, which was normally curly and unruly, in a ponytail, but she’d tamed it with tons of product. She wore a tank with a gauzy white shirt over it, paired with a pair of white capris. Kristy, who had always been a jeans and t kind of girl, was wearing…jeans and a t-shirt. Stacey, who goes to NYU with me and shops in fancy boutiques that even I don’t enter, was dressed down as well. 

I took a seat on one of the empty chairs, while Abby sat by Kristy’s feet at the end of her chair. “Where’s Mary Anne?” I asked. 

Stacey rolled her eyes. “She and Pete are surviving with only one car. She’s waiting for him to get home from work so she can come by. Both Claudia and I offered to pick her up, but she’s being stubborn. She’ll be here probably in another hour or so.” 

Mary Anne had dated her husband pretty much all through high school. When they’d decided to get married, most of us had tried to talk her out of it. Not because we didn’t like him or didn’t think they were good together, but because they were so young. She was still one month shy of her twentieth birthday when she tied the knot. I think she resented us for our opinions, so she was trying really hard in front of the BSC to look like everything was going perfectly in her relationship. 

Abby surveyed the group. “Nobody brought their guy? I mean, I’m running single these days, but don’t some of the rest of you have men you could have brought?” She looked pointedly at Kristy. “Where’s your better half?” 

Kristy shrugged. “He had to go out of town for some conference this weekend. You know he’s got that internship in New York this summer, so he’s been commuting every day. It’s killing him slowly. I told him he could just come home on weekends, but he wants to spend as much time with Harper as possible before he has to go back to school.” 

Stacey put on a pair of sunglasses and leaned back in her chair. “Jackson said he wouldn’t be caught dead in Connecticut. I hope he was just kidding. In either case, he’s at his parents’ place in Chicago and has to work tomorrow, so he wasn’t going to be able to make it.” 

I pulled my feet up onto my chair. “Adam had a family event today that he couldn’t get out of.” 

“I don’t subject Ray to my family,” Mal added. 

Claudia raised an eyebrow. “Your family’s not that bad,” she commented. Mal just shook her head. “Anyway,” Claud continued, “I didn’t bring a guy because I have so many that it wouldn’t be fair just to pick one.” We all laughed. 

I looked around the yard. I could hear the occasional squeal from Harper and Claire in the front yard, but other than that, it was pretty quiet. I turned to Mallory. “I have to ask. Is my sister here?” 

She looked surprised. “Yeah. Tiffany’s been here since about noon. But I wish she wasn’t.” I must have made a face at that, because Mal went on. “Nothing against Tiff personally. I just asked all my brothers and sisters to get the hell out for the day. Most of them did, but the triplets seem determined to camp out. It’s just Adam and Tiffany upstairs right now, which is totally against my parents’ rules. I told them I didn’t care as long as they kept whatever they were doing quiet.” 

I felt as if I were missing something. “Are Adam and Tiffany seeing each other again? She doesn’t tell me anything.” 

Mal nodded. “She seems like she’s not the most communicative person on the planet. I tried to talk to her earlier this week when she stopped by to pick Adam up, but I couldn’t get a conversation going with her.” 

We were interrupted at that moment by someone walking down the driveway. A blond boy, who looked familiar, appeared around the corner. His head was down and he looked like he was concentrating hard on something. It wasn’t until Claudia shouted, “It’s Jeff Schafer,” that he even noticed we were there. Jeff went a little wide eyed when he saw us all sitting there, and even more so when Claudia jumped out of her chair and gave him a big hug. “Hey, Jeff,” she said, “If you’re here, does that mean Dawn’s in town, too?” 

I suddenly placed why the boy looked familiar. Not only was he Dawn’s little brother and Mary Anne’s stepbrother, but I’d also seen his photo recently. He and Mal’s brother had gone to prom together. That explained why he was at the party also. 

Jeff shook his head. “No, I don’t think she’s coming to Connecticut at all this summer.” 

Claudia let him go. “That’s too bad. She was a lot of fun all through high school. I think I’m still banned from your mom’s house from that time your stepdad caught the two of us smoking pot in her bedroom.” I hadn’t thought it was possible, but Jeff’s eyes got even larger. “How’s she doing these days?” 

“I don’t know. She studied abroad this year. Guatemala, I think. Anyway, I haven’t talked to her in a while.” Jeff looked away from us, unhappily. 

Just as Jeff looked like he was ready to bolt, Mal sat upright. “Oh, Jeff, I almost forgot. I have a message for you.” 

“For _me_?”

“Well, for you or Byron. You’re supposed to call Haley and let her know it’s safe to come by.” 

Jeff looked crazed. “Call Haley?” he repeated. “I don’t know her number.” 

Mal laughed. “This is the Pike family. We have a whole phone book’s worth of numbers on a notepad on the fridge. Check the second or third page of the notepad and her number’s near the top of the page.” Jeff nodded at her. “See if you can convince Adam and Tiffany to go over to Haley’s, though after the message Haley left, I’m not sure that will fly.” 

Kristy raised an eyebrow. “What was the message exactly?” 

Mal looked up at the sky for a second. “She said, and I quote, ‘I refuse to be alone with that bitch.’” 

Jeff escaped into the kitchen. I turned to Mallory. “’That bitch.’ That would be my sister, wouldn’t it?” She shrugged, looking rueful. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not the first time Tiff’s been called a bitch, and it probably won’t be the last.”

Claudia laughed. “Haley? Is that Haley Braddock? I haven’t seen her in years.” 

Mal nodded. “Obviously, you haven’t been hanging out at the Pike house for years. She’s practically been living here for a while. She’s dating Jordan these days, and for the longest time before that, we all thought she was dating Byron.” 

Kristy made a face. “You _thought_ she was dating Byron? But she really wasn’t?” 

Stacey sat up. “Sounds like there’s a bunch of triplet drama going on.” 

“You have no idea.” Mal laughed. 

I interjected. “I read the newspaper article about Byron. Anyone else catch that?” 

A bunch of blank looks followed. Mal laughed again. “I need a piece of paper and a marker to draw pictures to explain all of this properly. Long story short: Adam is dating Tiff. Jordan is dating Haley. And Byron is dating Jeff.” 

A few eyebrows went up, but everyone was quiet for a moment after that. Finally, out of nowhere, Claudia turned to Mal and said, “Did you ever play the ‘how far have you gotten’ game with your brothers?” 

Mallory looked disgusted. “No way. I don’t want to know and I definitely don’t want to share. It was bad enough when _we_ used to play that game.” 

Stacey laughed. “Remember how we started playing when we were, like, 14, and we all had only kissed? And we just basically sat around waiting for someone to get further with a guy.” 

Kristy grinned. “Remember that time at the beginning of senior year when I refused to play, and you guys thought I was embarrassed because I didn’t have anything to share?” 

Abby shook her head. “I remember that. I drove you to pick up a pregnancy test later that night. Remember how Anna came running in, thinking I was murdering you, because you screamed so loud when it came up positive?” They both started to laugh. 

I chuckled. “Did you ever think, Kristy, that you could look back on that and laugh?” 

She wiped a tear from her eye. “Back then? Absolutely not.” 

We were all still laughing when two more people appeared in the back yard. The boy was clearly a Pike, and he was holding hands with a short blonde girl. Based upon the earlier conversation, I had to guess that they were Jordan and Haley. Mallory confirmed that. “Hey, Jordan,” she called. The two of them stopped. “Do me a favor, okay? Can you grab the burgers and dogs out of the fridge and bring them out here? The barbecue’s about ready. They’re all on a tray.” 

Jordan disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Haley standing in the yard, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “Uh, hi guys,” she said. 

General words of greeting went her way. Jordan reappeared with a tray of meat. “Did you also want the tray with the tomatoes and onions and cheese and stuff?” he asked Mallory. She nodded. “Honey?” he said to Haley, who disappeared into the kitchen without another word. 

Kristy raised an eyebrow as Jordan set the meat over next to the potato chips. “Honey?” she repeated in a low voice so he couldn’t hear her, “What is he, fifty?” 

Mal smirked. “I’ll ask him that later.” 

After Haley set the second tray next to the first, Jordan put his arm around her shoulder. “Where are the others?” he asked Mal. 

She shrugged. “Before Jeff got here, Adam and Tiff were upstairs in your room. I don’t know where they are now.” Jordan nodded and they started to walk to the house. Mal called after them. “Keep the orgies to a minimum in there. We don’t know when exactly Mom and Dad will be back, and I’m not going down for your hormones.” 

Jordan looked horrified. “Ew, Mal!” he cried. He and Haley disappeared into the house. 

Abby looked after them as the door closed. “Guess we know one of your brothers isn’t getting any,” she cracked. 

We all laughed again.


	2. Adam

Tiff and I had been watching television on the little set in the room I share with Jordan when Jeff showed up. He seemed jumpier than normal. “Hey, Adam. Tiffany.” Despite the tension we’d had on our group date a couple weeks back, Jeff didn’t seem to hold any grudges. He’d told me that, after the way his life had been for the past couple years, he couldn’t judge anyone. It wasn’t something he’d explained, so I’d just nodded.

Jeff joined us on Jordan’s bed. “When’s Byron getting off work?” I asked. 

He grimaced. “He’s there till close, so probably six-thirty.” 

Tiff leaned across me and wrapped her arm around my waist. “That sucks. At least they’re closing early.” Jeff nodded. 

I flipped the channel when a commercial came on. “Jordan and I were thinking we’d stick around here long enough to annoy Mal and her friends and eat up a fair chunk of their food. Then, right before it gets dark, we’ll head down to the park for the fireworks on foot. Sound okay to you two?” 

Tiff nodded immediately, but Jeff shook his head. “By and I are heading out after we eat. We have…” he faded out, sounding like he didn’t want to finish that sentence. 

Tiff completed it for him. “Other plans?” she said. Jeff nodded again, pulling his knees in toward his chest. She smiled gently at him. “Must be some great plans.” 

Jeff’s face showed a clash of emotion. I could see that part of him wanted to grin and agree with Tiff, but another part of him looked like he was scared out of his wits. I raised my eyebrows. If Jeff and Byron’s night was going to be as good as all that, I didn’t want to know about it. 

We watched television pretty much silently for a minute or two before I heard feet on the stairs. At first I thought one of Mal’s friends had come upstairs to use the bathroom, but I heard a voice and realized it was probably Jordan and Haley. “We’re in here!” I called. 

Jordan arrived in the doorway, looking a little nervous. He glanced around to see who was inside. “Hey,” he said with a generic wave. He pulled his desk chair over to the bed, which was pretty full. By this point, Jeff was sitting in among Jordan’s pillows, while Tiff and I had spread out across the rest of the bed. I’m not sure exactly which happened first, to be honest. Jordan looked a bit disgusted about the setup. “Please tell me you two,” he said, pointing to me and Tiffany, “haven’t been doing…anything…on my bed.” 

I smirked. “Oh, but Jordan, we were afraid we’d roll off my bed!” Jordan now looked absolutely disgusted, even though he knew I was kidding. 

Tiff laughed and sat up. “There’s room for you on the bed,” she said. I know Tiff is really hoping to get along with my brothers and their dates—even Haley—so if she thought that jumping off the bed and sitting on the floor would have helped, she’d have done it. 

Jordan shook his head. “Naw. Me and Haley will sit over here. Thanks for the offer, though.” He plopped heavily down on the chair. “What are we watching?” he asked. 

I shrugged. “We’re flipping. There’s literally nothing on today.” 

Jeff had been staring at the television and not really paying attention to us. Finally he shook himself and looked over at Jordan. “Where’s Haley?” he asked. 

Jordan looked uncomfortable. “She said she had to go throw up.” Jeff raised his eyebrows. “I _think_ she was just being overly dramatic,” he added, “but in any case, she’s in the bathroom.” 

Tiff shifted again and looked down at the ground. I put my arm around her and smiled. She smiled back weakly. 

Haley’s blonde head appeared around the door a short time later. Jordan jumped off his chair and smiled benevolently at her. “Hey,” he said, “Come sit in my lap.” 

Haley shook her head. “I bet I could fit next to you in the chair if I tried,” she said faintly. I did a double take. Her face was lined with worry and she did look kinda gray. Maybe she hadn’t been kidding about throwing up. 

Jordan sat down on the chair and mushed himself to one side. Haley daintily sat on the other edge and pointed her toes toward the floor. She looked over at those of us on the bed warily. 

Jeff looked at Tiff and me and then at Jordan and Haley. He raised his eyebrows. I could tell he was waiting for someone to speak, and he didn’t want it to be him. 

I sighed. Jordan thought he’d done his part by getting Haley in the room at all. Why did it always fall to me to smooth things over? I sat up straight on the bed. “So Haley, how’s work going?” 

She eyed me critically and then took a deep breath. “Brides, brides all day long,” she said after a moment. “Some of the older women I work with take bets on how long they’ll be married. It’s pretty sick, actually. There was this couple yesterday, and Joanie was working with them. They were apparently arguing about colors for their kitchen and it got heated. She came over to where I was wrapping gifts and said, ‘If they make it six months I’ll be surprised.’” 

Jordan seemed to have heard the story, or one just like it, before. “How many times has Joanie been married?” he asked. Jeff, who worked with Haley, snorted. 

Tiff looked thoughtful. “It’s kinda sad,” she said slowly, trying to watch her words. “Because they only have about a fifty percent chance of staying married. But I don’t think it helps to have other people guessing they’ll get divorced.” 

Haley looked surprised. “Right! That’s what I told Joanie, but she just laughed and went back to encouraging them to put more china on their registry.” She shifted forward in her seat and Jordan, who has been smushed against the arm of the chair, breathed a sigh of relief and put an arm around her. “Honestly, though, if they are going to get divorced, they should probably go ahead and do it after six months anyway. Then they won’t have any kids to throw in the middle.”

Jeff tilted his head at her. “Waddya know about divorce, Haley?” he asked. “Your parents are still married.” 

She sighed. “Well, they split up for almost a year when I was eleven. I didn’t think they were going to get back together, but they did.” 

Jordan looked at her in surprise. “You never told me that.” 

“I’ve never told most people that. I bet By doesn’t know that.” 

Tiff looked at me questioningly. I nodded. “My parents split a couple years ago,” she said, “but they never got divorced. It’s frustrating as hell. They did counseling for a while but it didn’t seem to do any good. I don’t even think they’ve spoken to each other in at least a year, so I don’t know why they just don’t divorce already.” 

Haley was about to say something in reply when Claire appeared in the doorway. “Hey,” she said, “Mal says that if you want to have burgers and hot dogs, you’d better come down now and get them while they’re hot.” 

Jeff was the first one up. I think the divorce talk was getting to him. “Is Byron here yet?” 

Claire shook her head. “Nope. Mary Anne’s still coming, too. But some of the people outside were on the hungry side. They put aside some meat for when they show up.” 

Jordan clapped his hand down on Jeff’s shoulder. “Do you really think that Byron could show up and not come straight up to see you?” 

Jeff had made a fist and was nervously squeezing it over and over, yet he smiled for a moment. “There’s a backyard full of food, and we all know that food is By’s first love.” 

***

By the time we got to the table, Mal and her friends were already eating. They’d crowded around one end of the table, leaving the other end to the six of us, including Claire. Claire sat down first without a thought, plopping down next to Stacey. I surveyed the set up and sat down in the middle of other side of the bench. I patted seat next to me and Tiff sat down there, putting her across from Claire. Jordan sat across from me and Haley sat next to him. That left Jeff with the seat on my other side—and enough room for Byron to scootch a chair up on the end, if he ever showed up. 

Mal was seated at the far end of the table. “Help yourselves,” she told the assembled crew. “Although, Jeff, I don’t know what there is here that you’ll eat.” 

Jeff shrugged. “I’m not really hungry anyway,” he said. 

Kristy sat across from Mal with her daughter in her lap. “That,” she said to her friends, “is something I never thought I’d hear a teenaged boy say.” 

We’d just dished out the meat and were starting on the sides when we heard voices from the driveway. “I hope you didn’t start without us!” 

The pair rounded the corner. “I told you they’d already served the food,” Byron said. He looked embarrassed. Jeff’s stepsister Mary Anne was with him. 

The girls all jumped up to squeal over Mary Anne and Byron stepped out of the way, afraid of being trampled. He came over to the table and stood next to Haley and Jeff. “Girls,” he said to Jeff, who grinned at him. 

Haley poked him. “Hello, best friend. I _am_ a girl, you know.” He patted her on the head and she scowled at him. 

Claire ran inside and returned with a couple dining room chairs, which she plopped at either end of the picnic table. The BSC members returned to the table, Mary Anne carrying little Harper piggy back. They all began to settle back in at their end of the table. Byron gave Jeff a kiss and sat down in the chair. “Any burgers left?” he asked quietly, trying not to attract the attention of the other end of the table. 

We settled down quickly to eat at our end of the table—Byron had already grabbed a plateful of food—but the girls at the other end of the table were still gabbing on. “I would have been here sooner,” Mary Anne told the assembled group, as she took the plate Mal offered her, “but I ran into Byron as Pete dropped me off. I had to stop and talk with my future brother-in-law.” Jeff turned as red as a boiled lobster and Byron ducked his head over his food. 

I saw some of the girls looking at Mary Anne like she’d grown a second head. Usually, she was a lot quieter and more sensitive than that. Stacey leaned over Shannon and Kristy. “Mary Anne, are you drunk?” she asked incredulously. 

Mary Anne waved away her concern. “No, I’m not drunk,” she said easily, “I’ve just had one glass of wine and that’s it.” 

I leaned over to Tiff and whispered in her ear. “Wonder how big that glass was.” Tiff shushed me, although she did look amused. 

I saw Kristy and Stacey look at each other meaningfully. Tiff saw it too, and she waggled her eyebrows at me. I stifled a laugh, which Mal heard. She gave me a death glare and I turned back to my food. 

Abby was less stern on Mary Anne than her friends. “Give the girl a break. Sometimes, you just need to let your hair down,” she said, waving a water bottle in front of her for emphasis. 

Claudia reached up and ran her hands through Abby’s close-cropped curls, like she was building static electricity. “When was the last time you let your hair down?” she teased. 

With that, everyone let the subject drop and got down to eating. Claire got successfully distracted by explaining her seventh grade science fair project to Stacey and Claudia, leaving my brothers and me to our own conversation with our dates. Well, Byron and Jordan got into a conversation with Tiff, in any case. Jeff was doing that thing anorexics do—he pushed potato salad around his plate but didn’t eat any of it. Haley was picking apart a hot dog bun with her fingers. From what I could tell, she’d eaten a whole two bites of hot dog and not touched anything else on her plate. 

Jordan had just started explaining how he’d cleared a table where someone had been finger painting all over the dishes with mustard when Haley jumped up from the table and ran inside. Byron turned around in his chair, surprised. “What’s she doing?” he asked. 

Jordan looked after Haley with his brow furrowed. “She said earlier she was throwing up,” he said. For a moment he looked conflicted—should he get up and follow her or settle back down and finish eating? He sighed and picked up his fork. 

Byron raised his eyebrows—and his voice. “She’s throwing up? And you’re not going to follow her?” Claire, Stacey and Claudia, sitting closest to us, turned around to follow the conversation. 

Jordan turned defensive. “You know Haley,” he said, looking directly at Byron. “She’s the bit of a…what was the phrase you used last week? Oh yeah. ‘World class melodrama queen.’” 

A giggle escaped from Claire, but when the five of us all turned on her, she looked the other way. Jeff spoke for the first time since Byron had sat down to eat. “It’s kinda true,” he said. “Remember back in Camden when she said she was going to drown herself in the bathtub?” 

Jordan nodded. “And yesterday at the mall, she said she was going to throw herself off the second story because they were playing shitty music on the p.a.” 

Tiff’s mouth was hanging open a little bit as she followed the conversation. She didn’t know Haley prior to our last get together, which had ended in Haley stalking off, shouting and crying. I think she was getting a bit of an education as my brothers and Jeff talked. 

Byron considered that point. “True,” he said, “But there’s a huge difference between saying you’re barfing and threatening to attempt suicide.” 

I finished off my burger and turned to my friends. “You know,” I said, maybe just a shade too loud, “you’d think someone as sensitive to comments about rape as Haley is would be a little bit more politically correct about suicide jokes.” 

Conversation at the table came to an abrupt stop as everyone turned to look at us. Jordan’s eyes went wide. “Adam!” he exclaimed. 

I shook off his comment and stood up. “No, seriously. She wants to get all pissed off over one, unintentionally hurtful comment, then she shouldn’t go around making comments that could offend someone else.” 

Tiff’s expression changed, and I realized that she’d finally put two and two together. She looked remorseful. 

Byron put down his fork and stared at me. “Adam,” he said warningly. He doesn’t get upset very often, but when he does, watch out. Jeff put one hand soothingly on Byron’s arm, but Byron didn’t seem to be much calmed. 

I leaned down the table and was about to let him have it when Tiff stood up. “Adam…Babe,” she said in a low voice, “If even I’m telling you you’re being a prick, then you’re being a prick.” 

I sat back down. I looked at my brothers, who were ready to beat my head in, and then back at Tiffany. “And are you telling me I’m being a prick?” I asked her, cocking my head to one side. 

She leaned over and looked me in the eye. “Yes!” 

I laughed. “Okay then. I’ll stop.” 

Tiff shook her head at me. “You are something else,” she said as she sat back down, but a hint of a smile appeared on her lips. 

I looked down at Byron and Jordan. Jordan still seemed disgruntled, but Byron settled down a bit. “Hey, uh, Shannon?” he called, “Could you pass the burgers down here?” 

The tray of hamburgers made its way down the table, and everyone returned to their eating. Things had just started to settle back to normal when the back door opened and closed. Haley stood in the fading light just outside the door. Thirteen sets of eyes turned toward her. She looked vaguely freaked for a moment. 

Kristy went into motherly mode. “Are you okay, Haley?” 

“I’m fine,” she said, sounding puzzled. She rejoined the table and Jordan hugged her with one arm for a moment. He then went back to his food. 

I stirred around my potato salad with a potato chip for a moment. Haley focused in on her plate, but she definitely wasn’t eating any more. Instead, she started swirling various salads together on her plate, making a disgusting mess. I know Jordan noticed, because he kept looking over at her, opening his mouth and then closing it again. He seemed conflicted over whether to bring more attention to her. 

I waited for Byron to say something, but he had eyes only for Jeff. “Did you have one of the tofu dogs?” he asked. 

“Tofu dogs?” Jeff repeated. 

“Yeah.” Byron puckered his lips. “I bought some tofu dogs for you. Didn’t they make it to the table?” He stood up. “Mal? Did you cook up any tofu dogs?” 

Mal raised an eyebrow. “Nope. Never saw any. Did you want me to make them now? The grill is still hot.” 

Jeff shook his head. “Thanks, but no. I’m actually done eating.” He shoved his plate aside, the food completely untouched. 

Byron, who was still standing, looked at his half-eaten burger and then over at Jeff. He considered for a moment. “I’m done, too,” he said. “Ready to go?” He held his hand out to Jeff. 

Jeff took a deep breath and then let Byron pull him out of his seat. Mallory watched the two of them. “Where are you going?” she asked. 

Byron was trying really hard to hide a smile. “Tell Mom and Dad I’ll be home before midnight,” was all he said. He’s generally a pretty terrible liar, and I guess he figured he wouldn’t even try to tell a story. 

Mal’s friends all watched them go. “Ooh-la-la,” Claudia said, “Wonder where they’re going in such a hurry.” 

Claire was decorating a hamburger bun with condiments. “They’re probably going to make out or have sex or something,” she commented idly. 

Mal whirled around on her. “Claire!” she exclaimed, shocked. 

“Well, they probably are,” she replied huffily, “I would if I had a boyfriend. You can’t do anything in this house. Our parents are _such_ fascists.” She stabbed the empty part of her paper plate with her plastic fork. “You don’t have to hide things from me anymore. I’m not a baby.” 

Jordan leaned across the table toward me. “Despite what her behavior might sometimes lead you to believe,” he said. As if to demonstrate, Claire leaned over and smacked him hard in the shoulder. “Ow! See what I mean?” 

Claire went on as if Jordan hadn’t spoken. “I know all your secrets anyway, so I don’t know why you bother keeping them secret. I know you smoke,” she said to Mal. “I found Nick’s dime bag in his jeans one time when I was doing laundry, and Vanessa doesn’t have a very good hiding place for her stash of condoms. I know all about you two.” She pointed menacingly at Jordan and me. “And I knew Byron was gay before anyone told me. Hell,” she turned and spoke seriously to Stacey, who was trying hard not to laugh, “Byron never actually bothered to tell me he was gay, and he just ran off to have sex with Jeff. Can you believe that?” 

Mallory sized her up. “Maybe,” she suggested seriously, “that was because he knew you already knew.” Claire shrugged, conceding the possibility. 

Kristy stood up with some effort. Harper had fallen asleep on her shoulder. “On that cheerful note,” she said, “we need to head out. _Someone_ is a holy terror when she doesn’t get to bed on time. Thanks for wearing her out, Claire.” 

By the time Kristy had gathered all her belongings—I guess small kids require a lot of stuff—everyone had finished eating. Mal surveyed the mess on the table. “You know, if everyone takes one bowl or tray or several plates, cups and forks, I think we can clear this table in one trip. There’s still dessert—strawberry shortcake.” 

“And Tiff made cookies,” I piped up as I picked up the tray of hamburgers. 

Shannon already held a bowl of macaroni salad. “You did?” she asked her sister. “When?” 

Tiffany was surprisingly cheerful. “This morning. I just had this craving for chocolate chip cookies, so I made twelve dozen.” 

“Whoa,” Claudia had picked a whole pile of paper plates. “Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate. But that is a shit-ton of cookies.” 

Tiff grinned. “Well, I have to admit that between Maria and me, we ate at least a dozen earlier today. And I left a dozen at home. But there’s enough to go around and everyone can probably take a few home.” She picked up all the bags of potato chips. 

We lined up and snaked our way into the house. Jordan pulled out the trash can for all the garbage and Mal opened the fridge and started taking bowls and trays from people, finding space for them inside. After Mal had taken my tray, I opened the pantry and took the chips from Tiff. “Hey,” she said, grabbing me by the waist. “Do you have a bathroom on this floor?” she asked, her nose pressed up against mine.” 

Abby saw us as she tossed some serving utensils in the sink. “Hey, you two, none of that in here,” she called with a smirk. 

I ignored her. “Yeah, next to the laundry room over there. But it looks like it’s occupied.” 

She gave me a quick kiss. “I’ll go upstairs.” 

Mallory’s friends had mostly returned to the backyard, leaving just Mal and Mary Anne washing dishes. However much wine Mary Anne had had to drink, she seemed to have settled back into her usual self—only she would have volunteered to load the dishwasher instead of joining the others in the backyard. Jordan went down into the rec room to gather blankets and stuff for the fireworks, leaving me alone with the two girls. I decided to use the bathroom before we left also, so I stood next to the door while my sister told Mary Anne all about what her friend Jessi was doing in New York. They were getting boring, so I tuned them out. 

Suddenly I realized there was a horrible retching noise coming from inside the bathroom. I looked out the back door. Claudia, Stacey, Shannon and Abby were in lounge chairs Mal had set out, and Claire was running around, catching fireflies. That left just one person who could be in the bathroom puking. “Haley?” I called out, knocking on the door, “Are you okay?” 

Mal and Mary Anne turned around, looking surprised. I shrugged at them. I didn’t get a response from the bathroom right away. After a while, the toilet flushed and the door peeked open. “Adam?” she asked. 

“Yeah.” I leaned against the door frame. She left the door most of the way closed. “So you really have been throwing up?” 

Emotion flashed across her face, but I couldn’t tell if she was irritated or frustrated. “Yes, I have. Did you think I was making that up?” 

I didn’t tell her it was Jordan who doubted her. “Well, you are sorta prone to exaggeration.” She didn’t reply to that; she just sat back upon the toilet seat and let the door swing open. “Anyway, what’s the matter? You getting sick, or did you get food poisoning from Mal’s cooking?” 

Mal was rinsing the last of the utensils and she took a serving spoon and flung it at me. She missed and it hit the floor in front of the bathroom door. Haley looked at it and then back at me. “No, it’s Tiff,” she said. 

I raised my eyebrows. “Tiff? What do you mean?” 

Haley was wearing a red and white striped t-shirt that hung down low, almost to her knees. She took the front of the shirt in both hands and started twisting it in front of her like she was wringing water out of it. “The idea of talking with her and making nicey-nice has just been tying my stomach up in knots.” 

Well. That surprised me. I did have to admit, Haley had been on her best behavior all night. She hadn’t said a single rude thing to Tiffany, although she definitely had opportunity. I’d just had no idea what it was costing her. “Wow,” was all I said. 

She went on. “I know this is important to Jordan, and I don’t want to cause any trouble for him. If I can’t get along with Tiffany, then he has to choose between me and you. I don’t want him to have to make that choice, and not just because I think he’d choose you.” 

I stood there watching her play with her shirt for a moment and then I walked into the kitchen. Mal and Mary Anne had headed outside and I hadn’t even heard them. The left over cups from dinner were sitting next to the sink. I filled one with water and brought it back to the bathroom. “Here. Swish that around in your mouth and then spit it out.” For once in her life she followed instructions without arguing about them. “Now. Keep your mouth closed for a moment and listen to me.” Haley looked put out but didn’t say anything. “I want to thank you—for trying so hard and for being so good to Jordan. So I’m going to do you a little favor. You and Jordan go to the fireworks together. And Tiff and I will stay here, and maybe go by ourselves later. Okay?” Haley took another sip of water and looked me over. When she spit it out, she turned back to me. “Sounds like a plan,” she said, sounding defeated, though I wasn’t quite sure what had her down. Shouldn’t she be happier that she didn’t have to fake nice anymore? 

I stepped out of the bathroom and saw Tiff in the doorway from the kitchen to the rest of the house. She raised her eyebrows. “How much of that did you hear?” I asked. 

She shrugged. “Enough.” It was only about eight p.m. but she looked exhausted. She’d been expending just as much effort as Haley had—maybe even more—and it looked like it was costing her just as much. “I think you made the right choice,” she said. Tiff grabbed my hand, dragging me into the living room where Haley was less likely to hear us. “I’m glad that we had an evening where we all got along, at least.” 

Jordan came thundering up the stairs. “I found a blanket and some bug spray. Are we ready to head out?” 

I kissed the top of Tiff’s head and walked into the kitchen. I didn’t expect her to follow me, but she did. “Hey, I think Tiff and I are going to stay behind here. Maybe you and Haley can meet up with Vanessa and her friends?” Jordan looked over at Haley, who still looked shaky from her time puking, and then nodded. 

Tiff grabbed a container off a pile on the counter. “Why don’t you take some cookies with you? Haley, I saw you didn’t eat much at dinner. Maybe your stomach will feel better later?” She handed the cookies to Haley, who took them and even tried to smile. 

Jordan tucked the blanket under his arm and the bug spray into his back pocket. “Hey, Haley, want to watch me make someone’s day?” He opened the door and shouted out. “Claire? Wanna go to the fireworks with me and Haley?” 

I couldn’t see out the door, but I could hear the squeals. “Really? You mean it?” 

Jordan held the door open and Haley stepped out. Tiff and I followed them and stood in the doorway. She wrapped her arms around my chest and I put one hand on her neck. Mallory was looking at Jordan and using her best big-sister voice. “Hey. You may not have a curfew, but Claire does. Either find Mom and Dad downtown and make sure she leaves with them, or have her home by eleven.” 

After the three of them left, Tiffany and I went back into the living room. She sat down on the couch, facing into the room. I raised my eyebrows and sat down at the other end of the couch so I was looking at her. “What’s the matter?” 

She sighed, looking lost. “I’m just so tired of being the bitch all the time.” 

I scooted a little closer. “What do you mean? You haven’t done a single thing that could label you a bitch.” 

“Babe, seriously. I’m glad you see me through those eyes. But I’m not so sure the rest of the world agrees with you.” She leaned back a bit. “Haley sure doesn’t.” 

I did the same so we were both looking at the ceiling. “I wouldn’t worry about Haley. She’s coming around. She’s really trying to make a go of it.” 

“Adam. I make her physically ill.” 

I sat back up and crawled down the couch so I was facing her. “Like I said, give her time. I really think you made some headway today.” Tiff looked at me and scoffed. “Anyway, why do you care what Haley thinks?” I kept crawling down the couch, over her feet and down by her hips. 

She kicked at my legs as I kept moving. “For the same reason she cares about getting along with me. I like you and I don’t want to cause issues between you and your brother.” I got to her chest and put one hand on either side of her shoulders and spread my legs on either side of her hips. “Adam! What are you doing?” Tiff started to laugh. “There are six people outside who could walk in here at any time to use the bathroom.” 

I ignored her last comment for a moment. “I wouldn’t worry about me and Jordan. Seriously. We’re big boys and we can handle this without real issue.” I kissed her once, quickly. “As for our sisters and their friends…well, how about we go upstairs and find out whether or not we’ll actually roll off my bed?” 

She shoved me off of her and I fell to the floor. “Okay, Mister,” she said, giggling. “You lead the way.”


	3. Jeff

It was the beginning of a very long summer twilight when Byron and I left his house. Despite the hurry in which he’d practically pulled me out of his yard, once we got to the street, he settled down to a leisurely stroll. We held hands and walked along quietly down Slate Street. I don’t know about By, but I was quiet because I was thinking.

And thinking. And thinking. And worrying. 

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I wasn’t looking forward to our evening together. It was more like there was a combination of reasons that, separately, I might have worried over for maybe a minute. But when they all came together, it was like the perfect storm of worry. 

This was going to be my first time with a guy. I didn’t know exactly what Byron had planned for the night, but I’m pretty sure it involved removing some clothing. It was like going back to when I was fourteen and I first got a girl to take her shirt off, but then I hadn’t known what to do with her after that. That was worry number one. 

Then add in the fact that this was Byron’s first time ever, and there’s added pressure. A guy wants to leave a good impression, and he’d waited a long time for this. I didn’t want By coming away from this night thinking, “Is that all it is?” That was worry number two. 

And worry number three was the worst of all. With the girls of the past, I’d worried about what they’d tell their friends or what the whole school would find out about what we’d done or whether I was any good about it. I knew I didn’t have to be concerned about that this time, because who was Byron going to tell besides Haley? (And I knew he would tell Haley, and I was completely unconcerned about _that_.) But this time was different for other reasons. Basically, I wanted the night to be special because Byron—and our relationship—was so special. I had stronger feelings for him than I had had for all of those girls put together. Worry number three was screwing our relationship up by doing something wrong. 

I know, I know. I sound like Byron. For a guy who has no real problems, he sure does worry all the time about everything. But maybe there’s something to be said about worrying. All I know is that Byron’s been doing it all his life and he’s turned out pretty amazing. 

We reached the corner and Byron stopped to check for traffic before crossing. Only he would do that; that intersection is pretty dead and you hear cars before you see them. Still, there isn’t a rule written that Byron won’t follow, so I completely humored him. 

Standing there at that intersection, I marveled at how small Byron’s world is in many ways. We were standing in front of Haley’s house and from there you could see both my house and Byron’s. All of his favorite people lived within a block of him. 

When we reached the other side of the street, By looked around. “It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?” he asked. 

“Hmmm,” I assented with an exhale of breath and a brief nod. By gave me a questioning look but didn’t comment on my lack of communication skills. He didn’t attempt conversation again, either. 

As we approached my mom’s house, I did a double check of the cars. Mom and Richard had left in his car, and he always parks it in the same spot. Mom’s car was there—parked a little bit crooked, but that was actually my fault—but Richard’s spot was empty. I breathed a sigh of relief that I know Byron heard. I led him up the walkway to the back door and pulled my keys out of my pocket. 

There’s definitely a downside to worrying: it makes you a bundle of nerves. I dropped the keys not once but twice before By bent down and picked them up. “Which key is it?” he asked, more kindly than I probably would have in his spot. Before long we were inside. 

I’m sure that you’re not surprised to learn that Richard doesn’t like to run the air conditioning if he can avoid it. Because there had been a small threat of rain earlier in the day, he’d closed all the windows in the house. Add those two together, and the house was hot and stuffy, despite the sun beginning to set. I flicked on the lights and looked around. Mom had been making…something…to take to her party with her, and obviously Richard had not come through to clean up when she was done. I would guess, from the bags sitting on the counter, that it had been quinoa and spinach salad. I hurried around the kitchen, gathering all the dirty dishes in the sink and throwing away all her wrappers. 

Byron stood in the doorway and watched me, amused. “If you ever have the urge to come over to my house and do that after dinner, my mom would love you forever.” I made a face but didn’t stop cleaning. I grabbed a dishrag off the counter and started swiping at the stove. By came over and grabbed the cloth from my hand. At this point, he no longer looked amused, but instead concerned. “Jeff, what’s bugging you?” 

I shook my head at him and he furrowed his brow. “Nothing. Everything’s fine.” 

“Bullshit. You didn’t eat anything for dinner and you’ve barely said two words all night. Now you’re avoiding me by cleaning up the kitchen. If you changed your mind about tonight, just tell me. I’ll understand.” 

I couldn’t look at him. “No, that’s not it.” 

He moved so that he was inches from my face and I had no choice but to look at his blue, blue eyes. “There are a lot of things I’m willing to forgive. But lying isn’t one of them. So tell me what’s going on. Just, please, be honest with me.” 

I reached out and touched his face. “I’m just worried…about everything. I just want everything to be perfect tonight. I don’t want to disappoint you.” 

He pulled me into a hug. I could hear his heart beating and feel every breath he took. I held him tight. We stood that way silently for a while. Finally, he spoke. “Oh, God, Jeff,” he said, and from the tone of his voice I thought he was crying, even though I would have been able to feel that. “I have no expectations for tonight. Whatever comes, comes. I just want to be here…with you. That’s all I care about.” 

I felt some of the tension leave my body and I hugged him even tighter. “So you won’t care if we do do something and I’m absolutely terrible at it?” I blurted out. 

I could feel him start to laugh before I heard it. “Are you kidding me?” he asked. I shrugged. I wasn’t, but if he wanted to think I was, then maybe that was for the best. “Oh, man. No, I won’t be upset. How would I know if you’re terrible or not, anyway?” When he put it that way, it did sound kind of stupid. I smiled a little bit and pulled back from the hug enough to see his face. He was grinning at me in a way I’d never seen him smile before. “Besides, I’m beginning to think perfect doesn’t exist.” 

I let him go and took a step back, cocking my head to one side. “What?” he asked, a little panicked. 

I put one hand on my chin. “Whoa,” I said, pretending to sound shocked, “Who is this Zen Master, and what have you done with my boyfriend?” 

The grin came back. “Now that,” he said, “is the Jeff I know and love.” 

Based upon the expression Byron made briefly after he spoke, the words just slipped out, but somehow I still felt he meant them. “Yeah?” I said, taking his hand in both of mine. Despite the fact that I’m a couple inches taller, his hands are pretty much the same length as mine, though his fingers and palms are more slender. I gave a little lopsided grin and he brushed his spare hand across my lips. I was just about to kiss him when he surprised me by making the first move. He kissed me before I even saw it coming, and I worked my hands free from his and put them behind his back. I balled up his shirt in both hands as he eased his arms through mine and up toward my shoulders, where his fingers dug in. 

It was probably the most intense kiss I’d ever had in my life—and I think it all had to do with that one little word he’d said. I quickly found myself feeling exhausted—and with a crick in my neck. I broke the kiss but not the embrace. “Upstairs,” I breathed into Byron’s ear, “I left the window open and the fan on when I left. It’ll be much cooler.” 

We got upstairs and I opened the door to my room. It was a lot cooler in there. I turned on my bedside lamp but left the overhead light off. Byron looked around. “Did you clean up in here just for me?” he asked. 

“Yup.” I gestured around vaguely. “I made the bed and put everything away. I even vacuumed.” 

“Wow. You sure know how to make a guy feel special,” he joked. He was wearing a plaid short-sleeved shirt over a plain white undershirt. He unbuttoned the shirt and folded it in half, leaving it on the back of my chair. “Where were we?” 

“I think we were just about to have a seat on my bed.” 

“Yeah?” By sat down. I watched him carefully. His right knee was shaking. I knew it; he was just as nervous as I was but he was better at covering it up. I sat next to him and put a hand on that knee, silently acknowledging what I’d seen. 

Byron smiled a quiet, wavering smile—so much less secure than the grin from earlier. Because of this, I started things off slowly. A few minutes later we were stretched out on my bed, side by side. Byron’s undershirt had come untucked, and I put my hands directly on his skin, pushing the shirt up as I went. Eventually, it was bunched up into his armpits. He pulled back and, without a word, removed it. I gazed at him long enough that he became self-conscious and started to blush. “Payback for all the time you spent staring at me,” I teased. He buried his face in one hand. “Well, fair’s fair,” I said. I think he thought I meant the staring—until I took off my own shirt. 

He leaned in for another kiss and the touch of my skin against his was thrilling. I pulled one arm across his bare back and put the other hand on the small of his back, near the waistband of his shorts. I stopped all the worrying that had been plaguing me all day and I just relaxed and enjoyed every moment. 

I wasn’t sure By was feeling the same way. “Everything okay?” I asked. 

“Hmm.” His breathing was rapid but steady. I didn’t get any more answer than that but I felt reassured. I ran my hand along his waistband until my fingers worked their way underneath. I waited to see if he had a reaction. He shifted the arm underneath me so that it reached my neck. I ran my hand farther into his shorts, feeling the curve of his ass through the thin cotton of his boxers. 

Byron rolled me over onto my back and I looked up at him. Both of his arms were supporting him over me. I wiggled my hand free and fumbled with his front of his shorts. “Okay?” I asked. He nodded tentatively. 

***

Sometime later, I sat on the edge of the bed, looking for my boxers in the mess of clothing on the floor. Byron lay on the bed still and he was being extremely quiet. I located his underwear before my own and handed them to him. “Are you okay?” I asked him for about the twentieth time that night. 

He sat up and took his clothes. “Yeah. It’s just…a lot to process, you know?” 

Boy, did I understand that. “I know.” We hadn’t done anything too spectacular—he was leaving with his virginity still firmly intact—but at the same time, it felt like we’d climbed a mountain. 

By wiped a tear out of the corner of his eye and stood up, putting his boxers back on. I finally located my own and put them on also. We stood there looking at each other and he turned a little shy, probably because he was still crying a little. I put an arm around him and he smiled through the tears. They were the quiet sort—no sobs or even sniffles—and I knew he couldn’t help them. It was just his response to all the emotion. 

After a moment he relaxed, the crying coming to an end, and turned to me. “What do we do now?” he asked. 

I smiled. “Well, if one of us was a girl, she’d probably want to cuddle for a while. My parents won’t be home for a while yet. Why don’t we just get under the covers and relax?” 

We didn’t put any more clothing on, because it was still warm in the room and we were pretty sweaty anyway. I turned off the lamp and put my arms around him and we lay side by side, both facing the wall. I listened to the sound of his breath for a while and he put one of his hands on top of both of mine, which were interlaced on the front of his chest. 

Out of nowhere he started to talk. “Hey, Jeff, remember when my brothers and I used to spend the night in your room at your old house?” 

‘The old house’ had burned to the ground some years back. Mom still lived on the same lot; she and Richard had just built a new house. “Yeah, I remember.” 

He went on. “Adam and Jordan always slept on the floor in sleeping bags, but I always shared your bed.” He breathed deeply and he was starting to sound drowsy. 

I smiled at the memory. “Do you remember why that was?” I asked. Byron slowly shook his head. “The very first time you came over, my mom could only find two sleeping bags, even though we had three. She said someone would just have to sleep in the bed with me.” I put my chin on his shoulder. “Jordan said I shouldn’t let you sleep with me because you would wet the bed.” He cringed just a little. “And then Adam _dared_ me to sleep with you for that exact reason. I was pretty sure you weren’t going to wet the bed, so I took the dare.” 

He gently bumped my head with his. “Why did you keep letting me sleep with you? Why didn’t you take turns after that?” 

I bumped him back. “I don’t know.” By the next time the triplets had spent the night, Dawn had found the third sleeping bag and put it with the other two. Yet when they’d come over, I’d only taken out two. 

“You know,” By said sleepily, “I liked you even then. I didn’t really know that I was gay then, or realize what those feelings meant. But I know that the happiest times from back then were when you lived here or when you came back to visit.” 

I kissed his cheek but didn’t reply to that. Before long his breathing became slower and I realized he’d fallen asleep. I should have woken him up or at least set an alarm so that he would be up at midnight, but I didn’t think of that then. Instead I shifted my head a little more onto the pillow and listened to him sleep for a while. I waited until I knew he was completely out and wouldn’t hear me. “Love you, too,” I whispered. Then I closed my eyes and joined him in his slumber. 

And we both slept through until the morning.


End file.
